


Rules

by cheddarbug



Series: How the Mighty Fall [2]
Category: Final Fantasy XIV
Genre: F/M, Nero is such an ass, Rules, not sure how to tag this, tease
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-26
Updated: 2017-11-26
Packaged: 2019-02-07 01:10:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,605
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12830109
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cheddarbug/pseuds/cheddarbug
Summary: Shorter drabble. Thinking that will be all this series is...a bunch of drabbles that build up their relationship. Guess we shall see how that goes ^^





	Rules

Carine leaned against one of the support pillars in the large workroom. Cid, Biggs, and Wedge had just left to go hunting for more materials that they needed for their next big project, which left Nero alone and in need of someone to keep an eye on him. This wasn’t the first time the Elezen was charged with the task of guard duty to the Garlean, and until they could trust him to not turn his back on them, she knew it wouldn’t be the last.

“I told you that you would come back,” he said, piecing bits of things together without turning her way. The Warrior of Light rolled her eyes and pulled out her harp to keep herself entertained while he worked and Cid was gone.

“Not here because I want to be,” she muttered, plucking the strings idly. It was a lie and she knew it. Ever since she had given in and allowed him to... to ravish her, it was nearly all she could think about. He _had_ said that she would be back and she had told him she wouldn’t, yet here she was hoping that she might get another chance.

“Unless my work involves bending you over this table, I _prefer_ peace and quiet,” Nero snapped, glaring at her and pressing his mouth into a thin line. Carine took this as a challenge and began plucking the strings in lively succession, starting up a rather jaunty tune. It was childish to provoke him this way when she could just walk up to him and ask him for another go, but this was much more fun. She could see his shoulders tense as he tried to block her out; his frustration and anger at her distraction growing with every note and chord. If she were one to sing for anyone, she would have added some _lovely_ lyrics that would have certainly found a way to rhyme Nero to zero or wanna be hero.

The clatter at the table let the bard know that her song was doing its job, and his fingers at her throat gave her the thrill of excitement and need that she longed for. She looked at him, biting her lower lip and dropping her harp in favor of touching the Garlean before her.

“Is there a particular reason you wish to irritate me today?” he snarled, his breath hot and inviting against her cheek.

“You said I would be back. Here I am,” she challenged, digging her nails into his arm while his fingers bruised her.

Nero glared at her, his eyes cold and hard, devoid of any emotion. “I’m not interested,” he growled, letting her go and returning to his project. “I’m a busy man with more important things to do than to satisfy _your_ every desire and whim.”

Carine put her fingers to her neck, her eyes wide in surprise at the rejection. She probably stood there in shock for far longer than she should have. “Why? You had no issue before?” she asked, dropping her guard in favor of answers. His reply would only hurt her if she allowed it.

“Simple, _Warrior_ ,” he began, keeping his back to her as he worked. “You smell like _him_ and while I absolutely enjoyed taking you here on this very bench, it was a convenience for myself as much as it was to help you focus.”

“And why would you care if I was distracted? Wouldn’t it make your job easier if I died?” she snapped. And how in the hell could he smell Aymeric on her? It had been yesterday when she had seen him last, but there was no way for this man to know that it had been a social call rather than one of business. 

“Contrary to what seems to be popular belief, Warrior, I don’t want you dead. I’ll admit that while I worked for the Empire it was a goal to defeat you, it was my _job_ to see it done, but I personally never wanted you dead,” Nero explained coldly. “And now that I am an exile from my former employer, _you_ are my only hope of survival until I can find another way out of this rat hole. So making sure you are on top of your game benefits me just as much as it benefits the Scions, perhaps even moreso.”

“And if I am in need of your services?” she ventured. He hadn’t exactly explained why _not now_ , other than the fact he was working. Based on his performance a few weeks ago, she would have assumed that work could wait for a bit of tension release.

“You have that Elezen king for that, don’t you? And if he can’t satisfy you, there are brothels where people are _trained_ to do so.”

“Aymeric isn’t a king and I am not so desperate as to have to pay for-” she began.

“His title matters not to me,” Nero scoffed. “What matters to me is that you _are_ desperate. Desperate enough to come to me. That, or you feel that you are doing me a service because you feel that I am desperate. I can tell you this, that is most certainly _not_ the case.”

“And what does he have to do with this anyway?” Carine asked. He had mentioned Aymeric that day and she wondered how he even knew about her relationship to him, not that it was anything given an official title really. At least, not to her knowledge. She spent many a nights in his manor in Ishgard, her own room of course. And though they shared in late night kissing fueled by rich wine and longing, they had yet to have shared a bed. Whatever they were, it was of little concern for Nero.

The Garlean sighed heavily, dropping the magitek he was working on and turned to lean against the workbench. He crossed his arms over his chest and glared at her for all he was worth through hardened eyes. “You aren’t going to leave me in peace, are you?”

“Not until I understand why this was okay a few weeks ago and why it isn’t now,” she replied cooly, hoping that he would cave.

“Fine.” The word was sharp, pointed, angry. He approached her, grasping her face with his hand and dragging his nose against her flesh. Her body immediately was set aflame, the desire pooling below as her skin pebbled. She wanted him desperately, far more so than she should ever admit. The Warrior of Light couldn’t explain this attraction to her former enemy. Perhaps it was because he presented a danger. Perhaps it was because he wasn’t her type of man at all or perhaps he was just convenient, she didn’t know. “You want this, yes?” he asked her, his breath hot against her skin.

“No, Nero. I _need_ this,” she replied, her breath coming in short, erratic bursts as her heart pounded in her chest. She hadn’t been expecting a reaction from him, but she could see his eyes widen as he sucked in a breath.

“If you need this so badly, then I need to set some rules,” he spoke slowly and deliberately into her ear, his grip on her face loosening as he nipped her.

“R-rules?” she gasped.

“Indeed, little Warrior,” he nodded, his nose brushing against her ear. “First rule, no one is to know about this. I doubt I need to tell you, but in case you begin to feel proud about what you allow me to do to you...”

“Understood.”

“Very good,” he smiled against her, the curl of his lip at the sharp outline of her jaw. He was teasing her, putting her exactly where he wanted her to be. “Second, don’t mistake what we do here as something that could be _more_ . I don’t do love, I don’t do affection. I will satisfy your needs, push you past your limits, and _fuck_ you as I see fit, but I will not do more.”

Carine was lost for words, his hands and his voice and his touch ridding her mind of everything that wasn’t him. By the Fury, she just wanted him inside her already! She didn’t want any of the love or affection he mentioned, she didn’t need it. Love was dangerous. Love left you alone and hurt because love was sacrifice. She had learned that the hard way with Haurchefant. Love wasn’t something a warrior like her could hold onto, to experience, so she nodded in agreement.

“Lastly,” he murmured seductively in her ear, nearly making her melt there on the spot. “You will _not_ disturb me when I am working on an important project.”

Nero released her then, a cruel smirk across his face as he turned back to the table. She stood there dumbfounded, her body trembling with the desire that had been building within her since the moment his fingers gripped her throat. The bastard had worked her up to leave her hanging.

With a deliberate huff, Carine turned on her heels and made her way to the doors of the shop. She would grab one of the other Scions, Thancred maybe, or perhaps Riol would be willing to take a break from his duties to keep an eye on her least favorite person in this moment. For now, she was going to have to try and find a way to release this tension.

“Oh, and something else I forgot,” Nero called out to her, unbothered that she was leaving him behind. “I am not fond of _sharing_. Keep that in mind while you run off to Ishgard, yes?”

**Author's Note:**

> Shorter drabble. Thinking that will be all this series is...a bunch of drabbles that build up their relationship. Guess we shall see how that goes ^^


End file.
